Winston & Strawn Named Trial Group of the Year by Law360

Winston & Strawn is a Law360 2017 Trial Group of The Year winner for its series of high-profile wins, including a major defamation suit victory and favorable jury verdicts in patent infringement and bet-the-company cases.

Topping the list, Winston delivered a historic victory for client, Beef Products Inc. (BPI), in its defamation lawsuit against ABC.

When discussing the case, Winston Co-Executive Chairman Dan Webb said: “We knew we were in for a battle. We didn't know it was going to take 4 1/2 years…it’s the biggest court battle I’ve ever been in,” he says.

In another landmark trial, Winston delivered a significant win for The Chamberlain Group Inc. in a patent infringement case involving smart garage-door opener technology.

The key to the firm’s success at trial was teamwork between multiple groups. “It was really a full team collaboration in terms of what the court was ruling on, what the court was excluding, and how the case was going to shape up.” After deliberating for less than two hours, the jury awarded Winston’s client $3.6 million in lost profits and more than $200,000 in royalties, also finding willfulness.

Winston Silicon Valley Office Managing Partner Kathi Vidal, lead counsel on the case, explains that the key to the firm’s success at trial was teamwork between multiple groups. “It was really a full team collaboration in terms of what the court was ruling on, what the court was excluding, and how the case was going to shape up,” Kathi notes. After deliberating for less than two hours, the jury awarded Winston’s client $3.6 million in lost profits and more than $200,000 in royalties, also finding willfulness.

Rounding out the list of 2017 wins, Winston achieved a substantial jury verdict in a billion dollar bet-the-company case for firm clients Alixa RX, Golden Gate Senior Care, and private equity firm Fillmore Capital Partners.

Dallas Office Managing Partner Tom Melsheimer took over the case from another law firm six months before trial. “I find that liberating because you can’t spend a lot of time crying over spilled milk, because it’s not just spilled, it’s dried up. We just jumped right in it,” he recalls. Law360 states that Winston saved its clients “from patent claims in a bet-the-company case that could have carried a billion in damages and a permanent injunction.” The case was a true Winston team effort, bringing together attorneys from the Charlotte, Chicago, and Dallas offices.